The Ruth Valley Missing

by Amber West

  He squeezed my shoulder, letting his hand slide down the length of my arm. “I’ll be fine. Stay here and keep Emma calm.”

  The shriek of the teapot broke the silence and his stare, making me jump away from him. He headed out the door, calling behind him. “I’ll be back. Lock up.”

  I prepared a tray with tea and some snacks to take in the living room as I regained my composure, shooting the tea kettle a dirty look before heading to the living room.

  Chapter 19

  It was close to midnight when the back door opened.

  “So? Any news?”

  Jack shook his head. “Not much. How’s Emma doing?”

  “She’s asleep upstairs. After we had a little dinner I convinced her to lie down for a bit. Hope you don’t mind, I found the guest room for her. It’s a little chilly down here on the couch.”

  “No, of course that’s fine.” He walked over to the stove and lifted the cover off a pot. “Dinner?”

  “Yeah, nothing fancy, just threw some soup together. It probably needs to be warmed up.”

  He turned up the gas burner and opened a cabinet, removing two small glasses and a bottle of whiskey. Sitting down at the table, he placed the glasses in front of us and poured. “I think we could both use a little.”

  I nodded, taking a long sip. “What did you find at Andy’s?”

  “A knocked over TV tray, and a bit of a mess. But to be honest, Andy didn’t exactly keep house. It didn’t really look like the mess left behind after a struggle. Looked like some of his clothes were gone, too.”

  “You don’t think something happened to him?”

  Jack shrugged. “I think something spooked him and he left town in a hurry.”

  “Poor Emma. I mean, at least it looks like nothing happened to him, but it will still break her heart to know he left without so much as a note.” I sighed and took another sip. As I felt the familiar burn in my throat, warming my insides, I smiled. Jack raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side, so I raised the glass slightly, explaining. “The same stuff my dad drinks.”

  “You two close?”

  “Not as much since he remarried. I was Daddy’s girl when I was little, though. He’d always brag about how I took after him, his red hair and green eyes. Then after mom died, he always told me how much I reminded him of her.”

  “Who do you think you take after?”

  “I got the best of both, of course.”

  “Won’t argue with that.” Jack laughed as he refilled our glasses and got up to check on the soup. “What’s Dad think of you living out in the middle of nowhere?”

  “He doesn’t know. Haven’t gotten around to breaking the news to him.”

  “You think he’d be disappointed?”

  “Not in the move necessarily. He had high hopes for my relationship with Dylan, my ex, mostly because his new wife Angie introduced us. Telling him I moved means telling him that Dylan and I didn’t work out.”

  Jack sat down with his bowl of soup. “Dylan. Is this the infamous church phone call?”

  I remembered Jack’s correct assumption, ‘man troubles’, when he found me sitting on the church steps. “Yeah, that was him.”

  “What happened there?”

  “Why did we break up?” Jack nodded, eating his soup. “Lots of reasons. I thought we had a lot of common interests when we met, which is what attracted me to him. But the more we were together, the more I saw that he was more interested in himself than he was in me. It took me awhile to really get it. He’d buy me nice things, but then I’d realize that he was buying me things because he wanted me to have them, not because I wanted them.”

  “Not sure I follow.”

  “Like, he’d buy me designer stuff, you know, purses, shoes. It was nice, but he bought it because he wanted me to look a certain way and impress his friends. Everything with him was an exercise in how I made him look. Kinda sad that I didn’t catch on quicker, really.”

  “Is he the reason you moved here?”

  “Part of it. I was getting fed up with a lot of things. Getting fed up with him was just the final push.”

  “Do you miss any of it?”

  I finished the whiskey and sat thinking for a minute. “I miss the hospital where I volunteered. And there are places I liked in the city, but overall, I haven’t missed it like I thought I would. And I definitely don’t miss him.”

  “How about your job? I imagine the few hours at our little book store aren’t terribly exciting compared to whatever you did before.”

  I laughed. “No, but I...” I stopped short, deciding whether or not to continue.

  “What?”

  “I didn’t really have a job, technically.”

  “Technically?”

  I sighed. “I don’t really like to talk about it. It’s awkward.”

  “Oh, c’mon. We just shopped for socks together.” Jack gave my leg a shove with his foot, following up with a big grin.

  “Fine. My family is...well-off. Really well-off. So, I decided I’d rather spend my time doing things I enjoy and things that matter rather than pursue some career I end up hating. I do the occasional odd job, but I haven’t had a regular nine-to-five job in a really long time. That’s my big secret.”

  “So, you’re a rich girl.”

  I grimaced. “I don’t really want that getting around. People make assumptions based on that sort of thing, you know. I didn’t want anyone judging me without getting to know me first. Especially in a little town like this.”

  “Your secret is safe with me. So long as you don’t start walking around here with a tiny dog in your purse or anything like that, we should be okay.”

  “Very funny.” I rolled my eyes, but was grateful for the good natured teasing. “How was the soup?”

  “Good. ‘Course, it’s been a long time since I came home to dinner waiting for me, so it is possible that I am just enjoying the novelty. Tomorrow I’ll probably be telling you it needs salt.”

  I smiled and stood up with my hand out, “Refill or sink?”

  Jack handed over the empty bowl. “Sink. No reflection on the soup. I’m just beat.”

  I took the bowl to the sink and washed it while Jack put the soup away. I felt silly, but I was enjoying the simple domesticity of cleaning the kitchen with someone who shared the chore. I placed the bowl in the drying rack as he slid the pot in the sink. “You can leave that to soak overnight. We should really get some sleep.”

  “Agreed. I’m beat too.”

  “You can have my bed. I’ll stay downstairs on the couch.”

  “That’s silly, Jack. I live right there. I’ll go sleep in my house.”

  “Except for the fact that you would be leaving Emma alone with me. The town wouldn’t think too highly of their Sheriff if they heard that he had the perky young waitress spend the night.”

  “So it’s better if you have two women sleeping over?”

  “Under the circumstances, yes.”

  “Fine. You’re the expert on this town. But I’m not taking your bed.” Jack opened his mouth in protest, but I cut him off. “I’ll be fine out here on the couch with a couple of extra blankets.”

  He shrugged, recognizing that I wasn’t going to give in. “I’ll go get some then.”

  “I’m going to run to my place and grab some sweats.”

  When I walked back into Jack’s and got to the living room, the couch was dressed with a soft blanket covering the cold leather, a squishy down pillow, and a pile of thick blankets to wrap myself. It was quiet already, so I curled up on the surprisingly comfortable couch, burrowing under the blankets and closing my eyes.

  “James?” I opened my eyes to see Jack squatting next to the couch, smiling at me in my cocoon of comforters. “Need anything else?”

  “All set,” I replied as I wiggled contentedly under the blankets.

  He stayed there silently for a few seconds, before saying good night and heading upstairs.

  Chapter 20

  “Rea
lly? It’s not too late to go drown our troubles in old movies and ice cream.”

  Emma and I were standing on the church steps, about to go in. She shook her head and smiled.

  “No, I always feel better after confession. But your ice cream plan sounds great for after.”

  I smiled and followed her in, watching as she entered the confessional. I wasn’t sure how long this sort of thing would take, but since the church was empty, save Emma and the priest in their little box of secrets, I decided to look around.

  Even as a child, I always found the details of a cathedral both beautiful and unnerving; chubby baby-faced cherubs and the eyes of apostles and martyrs watching me from the stained glass panes. Aside from feeling like I was being watched by the varied cast of characters, I did love the ornate designs that seemed to be everywhere in this church. Unique fleur-de-lis-like patterns swirled around tapestries, striking against the stone and dark wood of the floors and walls.

  I took a seat in a pew, glancing at my phone, wishing small towns like this had better wireless. At the house I had an adapter for my laptop which still dropped connection from time to time, but out and about there was rarely a wireless signal strong enough to go online. I sighed, slumped down in my seat and closed my eyes. I started thinking about the night before. Despite the madness of Andy’s disappearance, I enjoyed my evening taking care of Emma. And Jack. It was so nice to be around someone who showed a genuine interest in someone other than himself.

  More specifically, it was nice to be around someone who seemed so interested in me. The more time I spent with him, the more at ease I felt. And those brief moments when he’d touch my hand or tuck my hair behind my ear, well, nothing Dylan ever did gave me the same rush, even when we first started dating.

  As I sat there thinking about how Jack made me feel, I heard Emma and Father Mike’s voices emerge.

  “Thank you so much, Father Mike.”

  “Of course, Emma. I’m happy to see I could bring you some comfort. Just remember what I said.”

  Emma took Father Mike and me by surprise when she gave him a big hug and kiss on the cheek. She walked towards me smiling, a smile I hadn’t seen all day, wrapping her arm around mine as we walked towards the door.

  “Jameson.” Father Mike’s voice echoed through the cathedral. I paused, turning around.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s your turn, isn’t it?”

  Emma dropped my arm. “Oh, I’m sorry, James. I didn’t even think about that. I can sit here and wait. You go ahead.”

  I started to hesitate, looking at Emma, then over to Father Mike. He stood there waiting, a half grin on his face. A smirk.

  “Fine.”

  I walked over to the confessional and stepped in, sitting down next to the screen, noticing the same design I saw on the tapestries.

  “Isn’t this whole thing sort of unnecessary? I mean, I know who you are, you know who I am, and what if I was claustrophobic?”

  “Are you claustrophobic, Jameson?”

  “I haven’t broken down in tears or run from here screaming, so I think the answer to that is obvious. I’m just saying.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “So this is the part where I’m supposed to tell you my sins.”

  “That’s the idea.”

  “I can’t really think of any off the top of my head. What do people usually confess?”

  “Lots of things. Lies, impure thoughts, things like that.”

  “I guess I’m good then. I should let you go.”

  “We all sin, Jameson.”

  I let out a sigh. “Okay. I beat up a six year old boy.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Yeah, he pulled my hair and told me I couldn’t play in the fort he built.”

  “Ah. And this happened when you were...?”

  “Six.”

  “And I lied to my grandmother when she bought me this really awful sweater. I told her I liked it.”

  “I don’t think it’s really necessary for you to delve that far into your past.”

  “Well, it has been a while since I confessed anything, so I want to make sure I’m forgiven. Being thorough.” I thought I heard a chuckle on the other side of the screen. “Hey, who do you go to when you sin?”

  There was a long pause. “I go to confession as well.”

  “To another priest?”

  Another pause. “Yes.”

  “That seems difficult out here.”

  “It is. I don’t get to go as often as I’d like.”

  “Did you have something you need to get off your chest? I think I’m on decent terms with the big man upstairs. I’m sure I could put in a good word for you.”

  Again, a slight chuckle. “It doesn’t really work that way. Thanks.”

  “I do have a question.”

  “Fire away.”

  “What if you have a feeling something bad is going on, but it’s only a feeling. Is it a sin to go about your normal life and ignore it?”

  “I guess that depends.”

  “On?”

  “Well, that’s more of a philosophical discussion on morality and ethics, not really what we do here in the confessional.”

  “There’s no one waiting in line outside, Mike, I think we have the time. What do you think the moral obligation is?”

  There was another long pause. “I think it’s important to stop evil from happening. But I don’t think everyone is equipped to do so, so without facts, it would be dangerous to pursue merely a feeling.”

  “Does danger cancel out moral obligation to stop evil?”

  “Good question. Is this the sort of thing you discussed in your psych classes?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Perhaps we should discuss this further at another time. In a more appropriate venue. For now, I absolve you of your sins.”

  “Thanks, Padre.”

  I hopped up off the hard bench and opened the door. Father Mike must have hopped out just as quickly, as he was standing directly behind me when he grabbed my arm.

  “One last word of advice, Jameson. It’s never wise to jump into anything blind.”

  I pulled my arm away and walked quickly over to Emma, grabbing her arm, heading out the door and down the steps.

  “Wow, you’re in a hurry.”

  “Yeah,” I said, “just really looking forward to movies and ice cream.”

  “Me too.” Emma practically skipped down the street as we headed home.

  “Emma, what did Father Mike say in confessional that has you so happy?”

  “That’s supposed to be private, James.” Her tone was friendly, so I pressed on.

  “I know that, but we’re friends. Anything you tell me in secret I swear, I’d take it to the grave.”

  Emma chewed on her bottom lip and took a deep breath. “Ok. I’ll tell you, but seriously, Father Mike could get in trouble for what he told me, so you can’t tell anyone.”

  I guess breaking promises might end up in my next confession.

  “Of course.”

  “So, Andy talked to Father Mike shortly before he disappeared. Well, not really disappeared. It turns out you were right. He left town on his own. Nobody was even chasin’ him. And he told Father Mike that he was in love with me and wanted to be able to be good enough, so he was gonna go get a job and come back for me when he was ready to give me everything I deserve. Isn’t that the sweetest thing?”

  “That is sweet.”

  But it didn’t make any sense. If Andy wasn’t running away from something, why wouldn’t he have told Emma that himself, or at least left a note? Why would Father Mike make up that story? What did he have to gain by making Emma believe that Andy was not only okay, but coming back for her?

  “Let’s stop at the store, Emma. I think I’m gonna need some more ice cream.”

  Chapter 21

  “This is so sweet of you girls. The town is buzzing about it.”

  Emma and I smiled, cameras around our necks and a big basket of fresh baked c
ookies on my arm.

  “It was all James’ idea, Mrs. Miner.”

  “I can’t take all the credit. You baked the cookies.”

  Emma and I had spent the past few mornings and afternoons visiting the townsfolk, offering to take a family photo and bringing them cookies. I told Emma it would be a fun way to teach her about photography and at the same time do something nice for the neighbors.

  In reality, my plan to figure out what happened with Andy had a rough start. While the town had warmed up to me, I couldn’t go around asking random questions without being suspicious. But casually chatting with people in their homes over chocolate chunk cookies from behind a camera seemed to put them at ease.

  I stood behind Emma, helping her make adjustments to my camera as she snapped away, while I took the occasional photo with the old rummage sale camera. “So,” I began, “is it just you and Anne here, Mrs. Miner?”

  “Anne has an older brother, but he went off to school a few years ago.”

  Emma spoke up from behind the camera, “Yeah, it was such a surprise. You woulda never guessed he wanted to go to college, but then he got his act together.”

  Mrs. Miner nodded in agreement. “He started volunteering at the church. They were such a great support to us when my husband left.”

  I forced a sympathetic smile, unsure of what to say. “I think we got some really cute shots here, don’t you, Emma?”

  Emma nodded. “Can you take a few of me with Anne?”

  I snapped away as the two stood together, Emma smiling away and Anne giving an awkward, shy grin. “Got it. Thanks again for having us in, Mrs. Miner.”

  “Of course, dear.”

  “We’ll come by with the prints in a week or so.”

  “Wonderful.”

  Emma checked her watch as we walked out. “My shift starts in a little bit. I need to get home to change.” She threw her arms around me and squeezed. “Thanks for doing this with me James!”

  I smiled and walked in the opposite direction, wishing I had driven around town now that I was carrying both cameras and the basket of leftover treats. Turning the corner onto the main avenue, I thought about the various conversations I had throughout the week, searching for any hints I may have picked up about Andy, or anything else for that matter.